Rick Stroud of the St. Petersburg Times reports that the Tampa Buccaneers are expected to release CB Aqib Talib once teams are finally able to address their rosters.
“Barring a last-minute change of heart, or perhaps his exoneration,” writes Stroud.
Talib, 25, was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon back in March. He was involved in a shooting that occured in Garland, Texas and has multiple off-the-field issues in the past.
Talib was a solid contributer to the Buccaneers defense and helped solidify the cornerback position opposite to Ronde Barber. If the team is serious about releasing him they’ll have to find an adequate replacement because there will be a noticeable hole in the teams secondary.
The Buccaneers have already been rumored to have interest in Pro Bowl CB Nnamdi Asomugha but that was based on pure speculation. There’s also the chance that they could draft another corner on Thursday which make a good deal of sense depending on whether or not they’ve made up their minds.
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Do you still see the Bucs releasing Aqib? If he is released, what teams do you think may take a chance on a “problem” player of his talent? Assuming that Talib faces a suspension, how many games would you guess that he gets?
From everything that I’ve heard, Tailb is going to be let go which is going to be a tough for the Buccaneers to make. Talib has shown that he can be a very productive corner which is hard to come by these days.
There are plenty of teams that are in need of CB. Most obvious of which would include the Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions, and the Houston Texans. You could add the Ravens and Cowboys to the list as well.
The Raiders are rumored to be looking to move up for Jimmy Smith in the draft and he’s had his own personal issues. Oakland has taken a chance on troubled players in the past and they’re always looking for players with a lot of talent. Asomugha is as good as gone so they’ll need a player to fill in. If they miss out on Smith, I could see them as an option.
Baltimore would be the other team that I could taking a chance on him. Solid leadership can help get troubled players under control and teams like the Ravens benefit from these types of situations.